TDN Q&A: Jimmy Bell
Article published on Wednesday September 28, 2016 in the Thoroughbred Daily News TDN Q&A: Jimmy Bell For the past two years, Jimmy Bell has been the President of the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the non-profit organization which accredits, inspects and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations. As his two-year term comes to an end, he sat down with the TDN’s Sue Finley to talk about what he’s learned, and where the industry needs to be in terms of aftercare. SF: Why did you agree to take this on? JB: Before the TAA, I think I was a typical person in the industry regarding my thoughts on aftercare, and I think my path represents what the TAA has come to be about. It’s about awareness, and once you become more in tune to it, I think we would all agree that having been in this industry all of our lives, we can recognize some shortcomings and some things that have been overlooked and which were very deficient. There is no question that the word `aftercare’ didn’t come into the nomenclature until three, four, five years ago. Certain events certainly brought some attention to it, but I think it was a realization of how little we as an industry were doing and how much there was to be done. That’s one answer. The other is that these horses deserve it. Period. It’s the right thing to do and there’s no grey area to it. It’s a needed and just cause. Read more here: http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/tdn-qa-jimmy-bell/
Stud Muffin
Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue
EQUESTRICON™, HORSE RACING’S FIRST EVER “FAN-CENTRIC” CONVENTION TO STRIDE INTO SARATOGA SPRINGS IN 2017
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY. (September 2, 2016) – Equestricon™, LLC., announced today that Saratoga will be the host city for the first ever international horse racing convention and industry trade show. The inaugural Equestricon™ will bring together fans, horseplayers and stakeholders from every corner of the sport in an atmosphere of non-stop entertainment and lively discussion. Equestricon™ 2017 is scheduled to kick off on Sunday evening August 13, and will continue through Tuesday, August 15. The event will be held at the Saratoga Springs City Center, conveniently located in the heart of Downtown Saratoga Springs. “Above all else, we are focused on one thing — the racing fan,” said Dan Tordjman, Co-Founder of Equestricon™, and correspondent for America’s Best Racing. “Equestricon is committed to creating an extremely fun and unprecedented outlet for any and all racing enthusiasts to engage with the sport like never before.” The preliminary schedule for Equestricon™ 2017 outlines plans for several entertainment areas including a racing arcade, live music, around-the-clock autograph signings, meet-and-greets with current and past racing stars, a social media lounge, bars, a fashion showcase, product and technology demonstrations, rows of exhibitor booths and more. Equestricon™ will feature two-way panel discussions, breakout sessions and town halls designed to enhance engagement between invited guest speakers and attendees. A small sampling of discussion topics includes racing photography, handicapping, aftercare, technological innovations, social media, marketing in racing, ownership and breeding. In addition to Tordjman, Equestricon™ is being spearheaded by horse owners and breeders Kathryn Sharp and Justin Nicholson. Sharp and Nicholson founded the highly successful Ninety North Racing partnership in the spirit of attracting new owners to the sport of racing. They bring a wealth of experience and fresh perspective. “On a grand scale,” Sharp said, “we’re building the foundation upon which the industry can unite, meet face-to-face with its fans and end-users, and present the sport of racing as a cohesive entertainment industry. Long-term, we envision Equestricon becoming the ultimate showcase for — and celebration of — advances in the areas of aftercare, technology, marketing, fan development and more.” Equestricon™ also announced that the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be its official charity partner. The TAA is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that accredits, inspects and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retire, retrain and re-home Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. “We are extremely honored to team up with Equestricon for this historic event,” said TAA Operations Consultant, Stacie Clark Rogers. “In forging such a significant immediate partnership, Equestricon is making a bold statement about its core values and the essential role of aftercare in racing, today.” Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen stood alongside the event organizers and reflected on the impact the first-ever racing convention of its kind will have on the city. “There is no better place for this one-of-a-kind celebration of the sport than Saratoga Springs,” Yepsen said. “We are excited to write the newest chapter in this city’s rich racing history and we are confident that Equestricon will bring together local businesses, our residents and the larger racing community.”
Ellis Park staging Thoroughbred Aftercare Day July 17
Ellis Park is teaming with the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance to promote the industry-wide venture that provides funding for rehabilitation and retraining of retired racehorses to make sure they have good homes and often second careers after the racetrack. Ellis Park has made July 17 its Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Day, created to bring attention to the TAA, which accredits racehorse retirement, retraining and adoption organizations – and then provides grants to those programs. In its fourth year of existence, the TAA has contributed more than $5.7 million to 56 accredited organizations. “Ellis Park is already a supporter of the TAA through their per-start matching contribution, and we are pleased to partner with them for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Day to provide a public venue to gain additional exposure for the TAA mission,” said Jimmy Bell, president of the Godolphin and The TAA. “TAA Day is a wonderful idea that we hope more racetracks will embrace in the future.” The TAA is one of the shiniest examples that the disparate factions of the thoroughbred industry can work together for a common goal. The brainchild of Louisville horse owner Jack Wolf, founder of Starlight Racing, the TAA gets funding from owners, breeders, racetracks, sales companies, stallion farms and other industry professionals. Horse owners at Ellis Park contribute a per-start donation, with the track matching every dollar. “Racehorses are good to us, and we owe it to be good to them once their racing days are over,” said Ellis Park racing secretary Dan Bork. “Ellis Park is proud to join forces with its horsemen to contribute to the TAA. Many horses who raced at Ellis Park and in Kentucky now are enjoying successful second careers in eventing, horse shows, trail and pleasure riding and sometimes just as a beautiful lawn ornament living the life of leisure in a pasture. “While many owners and trainers already were finding post-racetrack homes for their horses, it’s a massive undertaking when you consider the sheer numbers involved and the size and energy of these amazing animals. The industry, in rallying behind the TAA, is striving for the goal of having no horse slip through the cracks. The care of the horses after racing is just as important as the care they received while racing.” The TAA and most of its accredited organizations in Kentucky will set up by the track’s main entrance near the clubhouse with information, with representatives talking to fans about thoroughbred aftercare. Accredited programs committed to appearing include the Kentucky Equine Humane Center, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption, Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center, Friends of Ferdinand, Old Friends and Our Mims Retirement Haven. In a joint venture with the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the TAA will have goggles signed by riders available for a donation to be split between the TAA and the PDJF. The fifth race is named after Louisville-based Papa John’s Pizza, which will present a check for $24,570 to the TAA, the result of its highly successful online ordering promotion in the spring that netted $1 from every order to the aftercare initiative via TAA promo code from all participating Louisville and Lexington corporate locations. “A lot of good goes on behind the scenes in racing that never makes the headlines, things owners and trainers do on a daily basis out of the limelight to take care of the horses who took care of them,” said Marty Maline, executive director of the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, which represents more than 6,000 owners and trainers in the commonwealth. “It’s terrific that Ellis Park is having a special day to showcase the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and bring awareness to what the industry across the board is doing to to ensure our racehorses have good homes for the remainder of their lives.” For more information on the TAA, go to thoroughbredaftercare.org. For Ellis Park media inquiries, contact Jennie Rees at tracksidejennie@gmail.com
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TAA Summer E-Newsletter
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Second Annual Belmont Fan Bash to Benefit TAA and TRF
New York, NY – America’s Best Racing (ABR), a multimedia fan-development and awareness-building platform of The Jockey Club, today announced the second annual Belmont Fan Bash will be held Thursday, June 9, 2016, at 121 Fulton Street, an American bar and grill located in the heart of the Financial District in New York City. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will be beneficiaries of the event. Launched in 2015, the Belmont Fan Bash was created to bring racing fans face to face with the personalities of Thoroughbred racing, including jockeys, trainers and owners. For the second consecutive year, the Belmont Fan Bash will be sponsored by Ninety North Racing Stable. The racing partnership has supported multiple ABR projects and campaigns since 2015. “The Belmont Fan Bash is designed to raise interest, awareness and excitement for the 2016 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival among new, casual, core and soon-to-be racing fans,” said Stephen B. Panus, vice president of TJC Media Ventures. “We’re excited to be partnering with Ninety North Racing Stable again and look forward to enhancing the fan experience around the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.” Highlighted by the 148th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 11, the oldest and most challenging leg of horse racing’s vaunted Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will feature championship racing, world-class entertainment and premium hospitality from Thursday, June 9, through Saturday, June 11. All funds brought in through ticket sales for the Belmont Fan Bash ($15 in advance, $20 at the door) will be shared by TAA and TRF. Additionally, the event will feature a silent auction with racing memorabilia, upscale fashion items and exclusive racing experiences up for grabs. “The care of our own retired racehorses is hugely important to us, so we are excited to team up with the TAA and TRF for a second year,” said Kathryn Sharp, chief operating officer of Ninety North Racing Stable. “The party was a huge success last year, and hopefully this year’s event will be even bigger.” Based in Lexington, Ky., the non-profit TAA accredits, inspects and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retire, retrain and rehome Thoroughbreds. “We are delighted to have again been named beneficiaries of the ABR and Ninety North Belmont Fan Bash. The event is a great opportunity to engage with guests, who run the gamut from racing personalities to new, casual and hardcore fans of the sport,” TAA Operations Consultant Stacie Clark Rogers said. Founded in 1983, the TRF has served thousands of retired Thoroughbred racehorses. Most horses under TRF care are provided with a quiet retirement at pasture. However, hundreds of TRF horses have successfully been retrained and adopted out to homes where they began new lives as pets, competition horses, police mounts or equine-assisted therapy partners. “We, at the TRF, are thrilled and thankful to be part of the 2016 Belmont Fan Bash. The crowd and this event are fun, relaxed and incredibly supportive of the TRF and its mission,” said Diana Pikulski, director of external affairs for TRF. “It is a special night in a room full of revelers who really love horses and make horse welfare a part of their Belmont experience.” About America’s Best Racing: America’s Best Racing is a multimedia fan-development and awareness-building platform, initiated by The Jockey Club, designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events, with a primary focus on the sport’s lifestyle and competition. You can follow America’s Best Racing at americasbestracing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, and Snapchat. DETAILS: WHO: Open to all fans, horse enthusiasts and anyone interested in learning more about horse racing. WHAT: America’s Best Racing 2016 Belmont Fan Bash, sponsored by Ninety North Racing Stable to benefit the TAA and TRF. WHEN: Thursday, June 9, 2016, from 7 to 10 p.m. WHERE: 121 Fulton Street Bar & Grill (121 Fulton Street, New York, N.Y. 10038) TICKETS: $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Each ticket comes with two (2) drink tickets. To purchase tickets, click here.
Latin American Racing Channel to Sponsor $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes
BALTIMORE – The Maryland Jockey Club announced today that the Latin American Racing Channel (LARC) has been named sponsor of the $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes, to be run Saturday, May 21 as part of Preakness Day. Part of the Latin American Racing Channel’s sponsorship will include present a check to Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) in the amount of $30,000. The Latin American Racing Channel Sir Barton Stakes is for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. The race is named in honor of 1919 Preakness winner Sir Barton, the first horse to win the Triple Crown. “We’re happy to see LARC support Preakness Week at Pimlico as well as the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance,” said Maryland Jockey Club President Sal Sinatra. “We’re excited about this coming week and building on so many of our partnerships.” “We are proud to support the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance,” said Mario Ascher of LARC. “We are committed to the Thoroughbred industry and the welfare of the horse.” Jimmy Bell, President of the TAA, said: “We are delighted that that Latin American Racing Channel decided to become partners of the Thoroughbred aftercare Alliance. The commitment from LARC reveals that Thoroughbred aftercare is an international initiative and we are grateful for this global relationship.” About Pimlico Race Course Historic Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness® Stakes, the middle jewel in horse racing’s famed Triple Crown, first opened its doors on October 25, 1870, and is the second oldest racetrack in the United States. Pimlico has played host to racing icons and Baltimoreans have seen the likes of legendary horses such as Man o’ War, Seabiscuit, Secretariat, Affirmed and Cigar thunder down the stretch in thrilling and memorable competition. For more information on Pimlico, visit www.pimlico.com. Pimlico Race Course is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry. For more information contact David Joseph at david.joseph@marylandracing.com or call 954.457.6451.
TAA and StarLadies Racing to Present “Best Turned Out” Horse Awards
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) has partnered with StarLadies Racing to present Best Turned Out Horse awards as part of the Hooves & Heels fashion event on Black-Eyed Susan Day (May 20) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. StarLadies Racing, an all-female racing partnership that exclusively buys and races fillies, will sponsor a $100 cash prize and gift bag to be given to the winning groom for each race on the card. The TAA has presented these awards in conjunction with StarLadies in the past with great success. Guest judges will select the horse in each race that is deemed to be the best groomed, and the horse’s groom will receive a gift bag and cash prize. The TAA will post photos of the winning grooms and guest judges on its social media platforms. “We are honored to partner with the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and to continue to support the great work they do for our equine athletes beyond their racing careers,” said Laurie Wolf, StarLadies founding partner. “It is also important to us to take the time to appreciate and acknowledge the hard work that the grooms put in every day. We are all looking forward to another wonderful Black-Eyed Susan Day.” Based in Lexington, Kentucky, the non-profit Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredits, inspects and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retire, retrain and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. Funded initially by seed money from Breeders’ Cup Ltd., The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association Inc., the TAA is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals and other industry groups. To date, 56 aftercare organizations supporting more than 180 facilities across the U.S. and Canada have been granted accreditation and received funding from the TAA. To learn more about the TAA, visit thoroughbredaftercare.org. Launched in 2013, StarLadies was the brainchild of Barbara Lucarelli and Laurie Wolf, two of the founding partners in Starlight Racing. Barbara and Laurie thought it would be fun (and, hopefully, rewarding!) to have a small partnership composed of a few fillies and a few great women so that they could enjoy their passion for racing with other like-minded women. To learn more, visit www.starladiesracing.com.
TAA and PDJF Team Up for Jockey Goggle Fundraiser
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) have come together to offer signed jockey goggles as a part of a joint fundraising effort. The goggles, signed by top-class jockeys, will be available as a souvenir in exchange for a donation to be shared between the two organizations. The TAA and PDJF will be offering the goggles on site at Pimlico Race Course on Black-Eyed Susan Day (May 20) and Preakness Stakes Day (May 21). The goggles have been signed by jockeys such as Victor Espinoza, last year’s Triple Crown-winning jockey, and Hall of Fame jockeys Gary Stevens and John Velazquez. “This is a great thing for both the riders and the horses,” stated Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. “We make a living with these horses, so it’s a very worthy cause.” “The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund is looking forward to partnering with the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on this fundraising initiative,” stated Nancy LaSala, PDJF president. “It is a great opportunity for our two organizations to work together to bring awareness and raise funds for both the equine and human athletes in our sport.” “It is great to be collaborating with the PDJF to shine the light on our athletes on some of our sport’s best days of racing,” stated Jimmy Bell, TAA and Darley America president. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, the non-profit Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredits, inspects and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retire, retrain and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. Funded initially by seed money from Breeders’ Cup Ltd., The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association, Inc., the TAA is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals and other industry groups. To date, 56 aftercare organizations supporting more than 180 facilities across the U.S. and Canada have been granted accreditation and received funding from the TAA. To learn more about the TAA, visit thoroughbredaftercare.org. The PDJF is a 501(c)(3) charity that provides financial assistance to former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. Founded in 2006, PDJF has dispersed more than $7 million to permanently disabled jockeys, most of whom have sustained paralysis or traumatic brain injuries. The Fund is a cooperative effort among race tracks, jockeys, horsemen and enthusiasts. Visit www.pdjf.org for further information.